Tummy Tuck Recovery "Must Haves"

Tummy Tuck procedures involve a recovery with some physical activity restrictions. I usually recommend pre op tummy tuck patients prepare for these restrictions ahead of time to ensure a stress free recovery. 

Here are my "must have" recommendations:

1. Have a clean area ready for you when you come home. While you may be home for a couple weeks recovering, you will not be doing heavy duty cleaning during this time so being prepared is best. You will also want to make sure everything you need is ready and accessible such as medications, snacks, a good book, etc. Also a holder for your drains is a great idea as most patients have them in for a week. There are a lot of options for them on Amazon. 

2. Make sure you fill your prescriptions before surgery so they are at home when you get back from surgery. They are there for you as soon as you may need them. Some pharmacies need a couple days to fill prescriptions and this is the last thing you want to discover on the day of your surgery. 

3. Be prepared to maintain a healthy diet during your recovery. Your body is working hard to heal after surgery. The best thing you can do is give your body a lot of protein and vitamins to help you recover faster. 

4. Ensure a smoke free environment. Smoking and being exposed to second hand smoke can interfere with your body's ability to heal. Breathing smoke can compromise efficient blood flow to incisions and can cause these incisions to heal very poorly.

5. Do not overdo. Dr. Woodyard does require you to be up and about  after surgery to help prevent blood clots. However, you are still healing from surgery so you must take it easy. She will always go over physical activities to avoid because it's important to not overdo yourself while recovering. This is even more important for any tummy tucks that involve a muscle repair. Too much activity after surgery increases risks for complications such as hematoma and seroma formation.